Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Granderson to Yankees Seems a Done Deal

CNNSI is reporting that, pending a review of medical records, the three-team deal that would send Granderson to the Yankees has been completed. The Yankees receive Granderson, and in exchange, the D-Backs get Ian Kennedy while the Detroit receives Coke and AJax.

My initial response to this trade is that it seems somewhat steep. I like Granderson but am not in love with him, and losing AJax for a good but not great centerfielder seems expensive considering some of the other trades out there. It also takes Edwin Jackson off the market (he's going to Arizona), a possible back-up if Halladay doesn't work out. Detroit didn't get a whole lot here, so it seems we could've made a play for Jackson in the future had we waited and felt the need to.

Granted, my first reaction to the Swisher deal last year was that we got an essentially identical player to Wilson Betemit, and I couldn't have been more wrong. I want to give Cash the benefit of the doubt, but I'm worried he just blew our chance to be players for Halladay or (and now definitely) Jackson.

You have to give up something to get a legit major leaguer, and parting with Coke and Kennedy doesn't hurt that much. AJax is not a known commodity as far as his major league abilities, so only time will tell whether it was better to have a reasonably priced Granderson (25M over the next three years hardly breaks the bank, especially considering Damon will probably get 20M for two years) or a very cheap AJax.

6 comments:

I don't get it. Yesterday, Cash said priorities were pitching, pitching, pitching, and left field. Now hes gone and traded away Bruney (ok, he was clearly expendable), but IPK, Coke, and a cheap potential 5 tool star outfielder, all for just a GOOD outfielder. Does anyone really think Granderson's ceiling is much higher than what he has already shown? And at this point we have to project Melky in left which helps the defense but significantly weakens our offensive production from that position!

So to recap, Cashman stated 4 priorities to improve the club, and within two days traded away 4 significant players AT THOSE POSITIONS which appears to be little better than a wash as far as production for next season. What gives

you're right. considering the stated priorities, the trade makes little sense. Losing IPK doesn't hurt that much in my opinion, since the D-Backs see him as a back end starter. That's probably true in the NL West, but he wouldn't cut it in the AL East, don't think he ever would. Coke is a lefty specialist who really struggles against righties and was therefore, I think, expendable. AJax could hurt a lot though, especially if it limits our competitiveness for Halladay (one of those priority position players). I have read that AJax projects to be a Granderson type player when he reaches the majors, which wasn't going to be 2010 for the Yankees. In that sense, getting Granderson today for $5.5M in 2010 may be better than a cheaper Granderson two years from now. I don't know, but Joel Sherman seems to think that makes sense.

I am reading that Granderson is a pull hitter and that potentially his 30 home runs he hit in 2009 could be 40 next year in Yankee Stadium. I am fine with trading Coke and Kennedy, but I agree losing Jackson hurts. However it is impossible to project if a prospect is going to actually pan out, so I guess Cash was going for the proven commodity. I don’t think Melky in left hurts us that much. He did have a number of clutch hits. If Damon re-signs he will mostly DH.

yeah, I've read in two sources now (Sherman for the Daily News, and the Times) that AJax projected to be a cheaper Granderson at best, so the thought was why not get Granderson now, since AJax isn't ready for the majors yet and may not be Granderson ever. That makes sense, but we won't know for a few years. My biggest concern w/ losing AJax is whether we still have the chips to make a run at Halladay. To get a Granderson you have to give up something, and frankly, Kennedy and Coke don't get it done, so I understand including AJax. But I wouldn't want Granderson over Halladay unless you're really sure that Joba and/or Hughes is going to develop into a dominant front-end starter and soon.